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Part III. — Twervty-thvrd Annual Report 



This year's regular fishing, however, did not begin until the 20th of 

 October, owing to the scarcity and poor quality of the fish. 



The fishing boats are small yawls or smacks, from 38 to 48 feet along 

 the keel, and manned by two, three, or four of a crew, the usual number, 

 however, being two during poor seasons and three or four when fish are 

 very plentiful. Each boat is valued at somewhere about .£70, the net 

 alone costing £12. 



Some 29 boats are registered at the ports of Dundee and Perth, but the 

 majority of these belong to Newburgh, St. Andrews, Easthaven, Car- 

 noustie, Tayport, and Broughty-Ferry. 



The boats go out either in the morning or afternoon, according to the 

 abundance of fish or state of the tide, and fishing is continued throughout 

 the night. 



The fish are brought into the Dundee tidal-basin in the morning and 

 are usually sold by auction, the auctioneer getting 3| to 4 per cent, of 

 the gross return. 



The fish are caught by means of a huge conical bag-net, which 

 measures from 40 to 52 yards in length, with a mouth of from 21 to 24 

 feet square. 1 measured one as it -lay stretched out on the quay and 

 found it to be some 42 yards in length, with a mouth 23 feet square. 



The mouth of the net is attached to two booms, an upper boom, 23 feet 

 in length, which floats on the surface of the water, and a lower boom of 

 the same length, weighted with iron, which sinks to various depths 

 according to the strength of the tide. 



The net consists of four parts, each part with a size of mesh smaller 

 than the preceding part. 



The first part attached to the two booms was 13 yards long, with a 

 mesh of \\ of an inch from knot to knot, or, according to the fishermen, 

 of 36 rows of meshes to the yard. 



The second part is known as the "enter"; it measured 10 yards in 

 length and had a mesh of of an inch from knot to knot, or, according 

 to my informant, of 52 rows of meshes to the yard. 



The third part of the net is known as the sleeve ; it was 3 yards in 

 length, with a mesh of f of an inch, or 64 rows of meshes to the yard. 



The fourth part of the net is known as the sprat-end; it measured 19 

 yards in length and had a mesh of T 5 ^- of an inch from knot to knot, or, 

 according to the fishermen, it contained 110 rows of meshes to the yard ; 

 the last three yards of the sprat-end were used as a tail end for hauling 

 the net on board. 



The Tay sparling fishing begins and ends at the same time as the sprat 

 fishing, and is engaged in by the same men, who use the same boats and 

 bag-nets but attach a small meshed herring-end or tail to the nets in 

 place of the usual sprat end. 



The sparling fishing is usually carried on when sprats and herring are 

 not very plentiful in the river, and is usually confined to the upper parts 

 of the estuary or from four to twelve miles above or west of the Tay 

 Bridge. 



The majority of the sprat and sparling boats are too old and rickety 

 for any other kind of fishing except river-fishing. Their deck construc- 

 tion, accommodation, and gear are quite unsuited for winter herring 

 fishing outside the river. A good many winter herring, however, are 

 caught in the river along with the sprats and young herring during the 

 months of January and February. 



The sprat and sparling fishermen take part in various occupations 

 during the summer time. Some of the men take part in the Tay 

 salmon fishing ; a few work on board the river passenger steamers, sand 



